Tag Archives: powerpoint

In Part I of this post, I talked about some of the practical issues to be aware of when preparing a presentation. In Part II, I offered some ideas on structure, theme, connection, and research. Now lets talk about building and rehearsing your presentation.

Keynote (blogs.exeter.ac.uk)

Keynote/Powerpoint or no? Your first decision is whether you even need this element. Consider your audience, consider your ideas, and then remember the old chestnut that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. It’s a cliche but it’s true. Powerful images can allow audiences to connect to your idea more quickly and to recall it with greater clarity later.

However, if your primary reason for using Keynote is to “snazz things up”, please reconsider. Visual aids should be deployed to reinforce your ideas, to provide visual cues to your audience, and to illustrate key concepts. If your material allows you to accomplish those goals without visuals, then Keynote may be an unwelcome distraction.

I’ve had numerous discussions with colleagues about the “best” ways to use Keynote and virtually everyone says the same thing (keep it simple, don’t rely on animation, don’t fill the page up with text and don’t just read the slides). These are all good points so I’ll take them in order.

Keep it simple. YES. Think of the most powerful speakers you’ve ever heard. Chances are, the words they used were carefully chosen for clarity. Your images and page design should do the same. Your audience must understand your point; select images and words that communicate your idea with simplicity. If you have complicated information to convey, either simplify it in an infographic style or include it in handout materials.

Don’t rely on animation. Wise words, indeed. Every now and then, a little bit of text, picture, or slide animation is welcome. Consider how the animation is used. Does it support the ideas you’re presenting? Is it a button to your speech? Can it be used humorously? The point here is to use a light hand with animation effects. They shouldn’t distract the audience from you or the point you’re making.

Don’t fill the page up with text. This goes along with keeping it simple. Presenters who do this seem to think of Keynote as a way to display their notes. It’s not. Either memorize your text or use notecards; just don’t fill the screen with all the words that should be in your head. When people are distracted by reading every word on your slide, they’re not concentrating on you and your message.

Don’t just read the slides. This is death by a thousand paper cuts for an audience. You are there to make a point, tell a story, and engage the audience. You can’t do that by rattling off a list they can read on a handout later. Take a look at the slide below for a typical corporate presentation.

Now try this: For each point, eliminate all the unnecessary words. Arrange those words on the page in an interesting way. You’ll find that your image is more striking and your point is more clear. This would be the uncluttered version:

Right to the point. (KC Wilkerson, 2016)

The main points are clear, and the design even allows the presenter to visually represent that their three goals are interconnected (ah…corporate America…).

Using a key word or image creates a visual prompt. The prompt helps you remember your story (and your point) that you’ve memorized and rehearsed. It also helps your audience recall information after the talk.

To the above points, I’ll add the following:

Cite your sources.If you cite statistics, cite the source. I typically use a smaller, italicized font to indicate my source. That allows your audience to see it’s a verified source without adding visual clutter to the slide.

Similarly, give credit for the images you use. Obtain the photographers/artists name, if possible, and credit them accordingly (by adding their name in a small, italicized font in the lower corner of the image).

Rehearse. Rehearsal will allow you to gauge the length and pacing of your talk; and is your opportunity to experiment with delivery and timing. Even if you know your core material inside-out, rehearsing your talk will put you at ease with the presentation itself. During rehearsal, you may discover that slides need to move around in order to establish your ideas more effectively; or that the order of your most important points are better delivered in a different way.

The quantity of rehearsal may vary with your talk (more rehearsal for a new talk, less for one you’ve given previously). I recommend rehearsing several times, making quick adjustments as needed, then setting the material aside for a few days. This gives you time to think (between sessions) about cadence, tone, and pace. After you’ve made adjustments (rearranged or cut slides, re-ordered talking points, etc), circle back and rehearse several more times.

You may benefit from having a quiet place to rehearse; free from distraction. It’s helpful if you can do this in front of a mirror. Set up your laptop with the first slide ready to go and begin. This may feel a little ridiculous at first. Don’t worry, it’ll pass. During your rehearsal, listen to your voice: Are you varying your tone and speed? Experimenting with emphasizing different words or phrases? Looking for ways to engage audience interaction? Watch your movement: What are your hands doing? Are you standing straight, but comfortably? Be conscious of your voice and your body; audiences pay attention to both. Practice operating the wireless presenter (that’s the device that forwards each of your slides remotely) and making the timing of your delivery to match your slides. Feel free to stop and start. When you stumble, try to figure out the root cause of your stumble. Too wordy? Weird slide transition? Fix it and move on. Your final rehearsal should be start-to-finish without stopping, as if you were actually presenting to your audience.

The key here is to rehearse enough to that you’re prepared to speak, with a solid grasp on your material, but not SO rehearsed that you come across as an automaton.

Alright, you’ve collected your images and words, you’ve built your presentation and rehearsed it. Whew. Lot of work isn’t it? Yeah it is – good presentations take time to create. But now comes the payoff. In the next post, I’ll talk you through the day of your presentation.

Like this:

In Part I of this post, I covered some of the practical issues in preparing for a presentation. Now that you know when and where you’re speaking AND what you’re speaking about, it’s time to begin collecting your thoughts, words, and images.

Consider theme. Most of the talks I give are meant to be inspirational, as opposed to informational so I tend to start by thinking thematically. Recently, I was asked to speak to high school students about the importance of arts in education. I knew I wanted to include a personal story, given that I have received the benefits of arts programs; and I knew I wanted to include a few statistical examples that reinforced the overall point of arts education. After some thought, I landed on a theme of creativity since that is common to all arts classes. My story and my data both spoke to the importance of arts education to those who pursue and (perhaps more importantly) do not pursue the arts; and how it improves their overall education (and aptitude in non-arts subjects). Having an overarching theme allows you to connect seemingly disparate elements into a cohesive presentation. You don’t have to put your theme in the title; in fact, no one even has to know you have one. It’s simply a tool to help guide you in assessing whether or not all of your points fit under one “big idea”.

Along with theme, consider your point of view. Audiences respond to speakers who know their subject and, perhaps more importantly, are passionate about their subject. Infuse your presentation with words and thoughts that originate in your core. If your words are rooted in conviction and reinforce your points, you will deliver them in a more genuine, honest way. Otherwise, your audience may sense you’re being disingenuous which will cause them to disengage.

Create structure. People are story-based. We crave a beginning, middle, and end. You can insure that you deliver on this by carefully considering your presentation in the context of your theme. Typically this involves presenting a point, providing illustrative information that reinforces the point, then referencing it back to your larger theme before moving onto your next point.

There are several ways to create your structure. Analytical, logical types may want to start with an outline in a word program. Others might choose to create mind maps. I actually prefer to work in Keynote. Many presenters believe this is a bad idea, because it can place too much emphasis on “snazzy visuals” instead of content (and it can, so beware). My work, however, inherently relies on relaying concepts in a visual way so I find “thinking” in Keynote to be very helpful. I usually start with a theme/title page, then create pages for each of my points and fill in some preliminary information. This forces me to stick to my point when I’m putting info on the page. I can instantly see whether or not it fits on that page or should move to another. It’s essentially an outline built in Keynote, but it works for me. Your approach can also depend on the style of presentation. Experiment with a few different approaches and use what works best for your style.

Create connection. People also crave connection. Anyone can stand up and read stats from a slide. Make your presentation personal by sharing a story that illustrates your point (bonus points if its humorous and allows people to see themselves in a similar situation). Take a look at this video on TED. In it, Sir Ken Robinson establishes his points, but then goes further by telling several compelling stories that illustrate his ideas; some are about other people, some are about him or his family. What stories do is open a window between the audience and speaker, allowing the audience to see themselves (or someone they know) in these stories; creating a connection. This brings the audience closer to the storyteller and makes it easier for them to digest the ideas the speaker is presenting.

Collect your visuals. Eventually, you’ll need to start gathering all of your images. I’m primarily motivated and moved by visuals; so I allow a lot of time to browse for images and video that support my subject.

You’ll create a folder for your talk. In it, create a subfolder for notes, another for images, and another for video. Then search through your own files and the internet, remembering that this exercise is all about volume. It’s okay to harvest a LOT of images. You’ll edit later (more on that in part II).

Go for striking, uncluttered, high-contrast images because those tend to read best from far away AND can be seen clearly even when the projector is dim or low-quality. Steer clear of the banal and the literal. You want the visual to support your idea, not bludgeon the audience with its obviousness. To that end, don’t be afraid to be abstract or whimsical.

Collect high-resolution images (aim for 1920×1080 minimum). Crop out any extraneous or distracting details. Rename the file to something that is easy for you to remember or locate quickly; and place all of the files in your respective folders.

One last point on visuals. Someone went to the effort to create the visuals that you find so wonderful. Be an awesome human and give them credit. The easiest way to remember the creator is to put the credit info in the file name; but the best way is to right-click on the image and fill out the meta-data (using Properties on PC or Get Info on Mac). Both platforms provide editable fields, allowing you to enter the creators name and other info, along with tags to make it searchable.

So now you have your thoughts together, an outline made, and a collection of images and video. What’s next? Part III will cover creating your visual presentation and rehearsing. Part IV will cover presentation day.